Videoconference hearing and rejected requests: Guțul and Popan remain behind bars
Two months after their conviction, Bashkan Evghenia Guțul and Svetlana Popan, the secretary of the former "Șor" party, are seeking release. However, the Chisinau Court of Appeal rejected their request, which was submitted by their lawyers on Wednesday. Additionally, the judges denied a request for repeated witness hearings and for conducting an economic and financial analysis. The hearing at the Centru Court of Appeal was conducted via videoconference, and the lawyers had also requested that the defendants be physically present in court. This request was also denied by the judges.
"The defense's requests for the physical presence of defendants Evghenia Guțul and Svetlana Popan at the court session held at the Central Court of Appeal have been rejected as unfounded. Additionally, the defense's requests for ordering economic and financial expertise was also rejected," stated one of the judges.
We remind you that Evghenia Guțul and Svetlana Popan were sentenced on August 5, 2025, to seven and six years in prison, respectively, for their involvement in the illegal financing of the former "Șor" party and an electoral competitor, totaling approximately 42.5 million lei.
Guțul is also subject to international sanctions imposed by the United States in June 2024 and by the European Union in October 2024 due to actions that destabilize the region and promote separatism.
